Community Connection: Ovarian Cancer Canada is looking for volunteers! Could you help?
OVdialogue – consider joining our team in the role of Community Champion. Over a few hours each week, you would be part of a team that helps connect people, support conversations and are thought leaders for OVdialogue. This is your opportunity to give back to those who have/continue to support you through the tough times, share your unique experiences, and help celebrate successes. For more details of what this entails, please reach out to @Mfallis (mfallis@ovariancanada.org).
OVdialogue – consider joining our team in the role of Community Champion. Over a few hours each week, you would be part of a team that helps connect people, support conversations and are thought leaders for OVdialogue. This is your opportunity to give back to those who have/continue to support you through the tough times, share your unique experiences, and help celebrate successes. For more details of what this entails, please reach out to @Mfallis (mfallis@ovariancanada.org).
Ovarian Cancer Canada is thrilled to share that we have some exciting updates on the way for OVdialogue. These enhancements are designed to strengthen our community and make your experience even better.
Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to share your thoughts below. Let’s make this community even stronger!
Stay tuned for more details, and feel free to share your thoughts below. Let’s make this community even stronger!
USA fees and Canadian Funding Question
I found out that it costs almost $20,000 US (!!) to be assessed and have a treatment plan given along with the tests needed to confirm a diagnoses by MD Anderson in Texas (best ov. can. hospital in the States). This seems so excessive to me. I am wondering if any of you were assessed at a USA hospital and how much it cost you. Also does anyone know if our private health insurance, OHIP, Trillium or any other organization helps Canadians pay for treatments not available in Canada? Since my cancer is somewhat rare and aggressive and I seem to have limited options here, I am looking into whether or not I can find other drugs or treatments in the USA. I considered it earlier and put it aside. Now, I have online friends in the USA in a small support group and they are urging me to go there because they are getting drugs I can't get here and are doing well. We'd sell our house and get a small condo instead to help pay for it; otherwise, clearly we would come back bankrupt and homeless.
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@BellaDonna1959
Wow! That does seem steep doesn't it. I am thankful every day for the health care model we have in Canada. Although we don't see the actual cost of seeing someone like an Oncologist, our surgical bills, etc I bet we would all be sticker shocked if we were to see it.
I, personally, don't have an answer to your question. I would not even know who to ask that question. Perhaps and this is a BIG perhaps, it may be covered IF all and any treatments available to you here were NOT working and you had exhausted all avenues. But truly I have NO idea.
It is difficult to know what to do isn't it? When you have limited resources and a cheering team on one side and then the known and most of the costs covered here. It is a BIG decision, I will give you that. Whatever your decision is, if you would like to send along an update, I would be interested in reading it. Would be interested to know what drug(s) are available there and not here and for what reasons as well.
I wish you the best. Last time you posted, it sounded like your current treatment was working but time has passed and perhaps that has changed for you. It seems that daily on this forum that is what is occurring for many of the gals on this site.
I, for one, would have high anxiety making this decision. How are you coping with the emotional part of this big decision? What is your health team saying about it (if anything)? I am curious and if you do not want to share, I understand.
Again, I wish you well in your search, your desired outcome and in whatever choice you make.
Take care of you!0 -
@Strongwoman @BellaDonna1959
A couple of corrections or clarifications from your questions and the comment.
It''s important to remember the funding models for treatment are provincial not federal and can very slightly from one province to another. Although generally speaking we do enjoy huge benefits compared with other countries, the US especially. In the US, most, if not all drugs, are subject only to financial oversight by the various insurers, not the government hence the FDA tends to be "looser" and faster in approving new drugs to market. How they get paid for is not relevant
As for financing treatment here where it might apply in some cases, most cancer centres here have financial navigators who can help with what's available within our financial models and how to access support. Whether their reach goes outside of Canada I'm doubtful though.
Hope that helps a bit .0 -
@BellaDonna1959 I went to Rosewell Park, Buffalo, around the corner from Toronto and paid US$1,500 for a second opinion. I was offered to start on a trial for my clear cell ovarian cancer which would totally make sense but would need to cover some costs by myself. These are too high $250,000/year. The team mention that there is a possibility to get US insurance and that some Canadians are being treated in the US. So, now I am trying to investigate how to do. While Canada certainly offers good standard of care treatment, the US has much more modern treatment for OC to offer.
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@Tanja - keep me posted please - very interested.
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@GloHo Curious if you have any input here or clarification of anything you have come across as of late. Let us know if you have. Your knowledge in this area is vast compared to my own,
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@Strongwoman
Unfortunately, no. I have not explored US trials extensively.0
